Today was an un-birthday celebration for Eden's cousin Nicky, since he'll be heading back to Prague at the end of the month and we won't be around for his actual birthday. Unfortunately, I had set my original Canon camera battery on the charger in anticipation of our upcoming camping trip and had put my off-brand backup battery in the camera, assuming that it would carry me through the event while my main charged. Silly me. Apparently it had self-discharged from full to 0 without having fired a single shot, as the camera had just enough oomph to close the shutter and lock.
This of course meant that I had to talk Eden out of her point and shoot for the evening, which takes phenomenal macro photos and quite decent snapshots in good lighting, but has radically different definitions of high speed and low lighting than the equipment I've become used to. Just goes to show that I need to not let myself get in a rut, I guess.
In any case, it was a nice gathering, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Eden's uncle Tom even showed up, which was great, as we rarely get a chance to see him since he and Pat separated.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-08-08
Morning migraine kept me from following the girls down to market today. Actually, it wasn't that horrible of an episode, but I figured that since I didn't HAVE to be down there, I should probably take the novel step of not forcing myself to hold together and go. In a terribly weird way, this made the morning just a touch relaxing, even if it was painful.
After touching base with my parents today, it looks like Eden and I will be rejoining clan Byram and clan Snow in Minnesota this year for Christmas. I've got to say, I had a wonderful time last year, and I'm really looking forward to it again! (Among other things, I got great photos then, and I've picked up quite a few tricks since that I can't wait to try out!)
After touching base with my parents today, it looks like Eden and I will be rejoining clan Byram and clan Snow in Minnesota this year for Christmas. I've got to say, I had a wonderful time last year, and I'm really looking forward to it again! (Among other things, I got great photos then, and I've picked up quite a few tricks since that I can't wait to try out!)
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-08-07
Another wonderful day for market! At least mostly ;)
The temperature was at least well within the bearable range, which really helped. Unfortunately, the humidity today was at 87% locally, which makes spinning cotton candy very nearly an exercise in futility - the end product is much much denser than normal, and has an annoying tendency to build up within the bowl considerably more than usual. Something we'll have to see about engineering a solution of some sort for in the future, I think.
Between the "Bite of Oregon" and the annual bridge pedal, it's not going to be worth coming back tomorrow to sell, as getting our equipment close enough to unload is sure to be a nightmare, and our customer base is likely to be elsewhere. That said, Eden will be heading down to run Lizzy's booth again, and I think I'll join her on the Max to see about photographing the event - should be fun.
We did take the opportunity for a bit of self-spoilage after work, as both Eden and Cassie had a free movie ticket earned on their respective Regal Club cards. We decided to head out to the new flick "Despicable Me", which was almost painfully cute, and quite watchable, despite a predictable plot line. It was just a little short of awkwardly blatant about broadcasting where the story would end up, allowing the audience to congratulate themselves on being so very smart for figuring it out. Good stuff, all around.
The temperature was at least well within the bearable range, which really helped. Unfortunately, the humidity today was at 87% locally, which makes spinning cotton candy very nearly an exercise in futility - the end product is much much denser than normal, and has an annoying tendency to build up within the bowl considerably more than usual. Something we'll have to see about engineering a solution of some sort for in the future, I think.
Between the "Bite of Oregon" and the annual bridge pedal, it's not going to be worth coming back tomorrow to sell, as getting our equipment close enough to unload is sure to be a nightmare, and our customer base is likely to be elsewhere. That said, Eden will be heading down to run Lizzy's booth again, and I think I'll join her on the Max to see about photographing the event - should be fun.
We did take the opportunity for a bit of self-spoilage after work, as both Eden and Cassie had a free movie ticket earned on their respective Regal Club cards. We decided to head out to the new flick "Despicable Me", which was almost painfully cute, and quite watchable, despite a predictable plot line. It was just a little short of awkwardly blatant about broadcasting where the story would end up, allowing the audience to congratulate themselves on being so very smart for figuring it out. Good stuff, all around.
Daily Post (Josh) 2010-08-06
Minimally productive day today, I'm afraid. I spent a good 6-7 hours on the road between errands, thanks to nasty traffic. Not good stuff, since my car lacks in a few essentials, such as AC.
The two primary tasks of the day were refilling a few supplies for Fairy Floss for the weekend, and investigating Veteran's benefits, since Jon had turned me on to the fact that the Obama administration had made a few changes in qualifications.
As it turns out, I was right about educational benefits, as the clerk told me rather brusquely. "You're screwed." I'm all for being straight forward, but that's a whole new level of government clarity. Since I didn't pay the $100 per month for my first year of service, I get nothing from them. Not a surprise, but really something I regret. Back in the first few days of the service, when this decision was made, the incredible financial benefits offered by the GI Bill weren't even mentioned, and the spin was essentially that if you didn't sign this paper, they'd cut your pay by $100. Wonderful cost saving measure by the government, and just the right thing to say to someone who hasn't had time to sleep in days, and who thinks he has college funding perfectly figured out, thanks to the Clemens scholarship.
Not that the tuition offered by that scholarship hasn't helped a ton, but it's not enough to live on. Ah well, youth offers so many chances to screw up....
As to health benefits, it at least looks like a possibility. Unfortunately, I only have a one page DD-214 (the exit papers for getting out of the Navy). Apparently, I need to request the 4 page version before I can apply for benefits. No worries - I'm expecting this to be a fairly long evolution anyway before I see anything out of it.
The two primary tasks of the day were refilling a few supplies for Fairy Floss for the weekend, and investigating Veteran's benefits, since Jon had turned me on to the fact that the Obama administration had made a few changes in qualifications.
As it turns out, I was right about educational benefits, as the clerk told me rather brusquely. "You're screwed." I'm all for being straight forward, but that's a whole new level of government clarity. Since I didn't pay the $100 per month for my first year of service, I get nothing from them. Not a surprise, but really something I regret. Back in the first few days of the service, when this decision was made, the incredible financial benefits offered by the GI Bill weren't even mentioned, and the spin was essentially that if you didn't sign this paper, they'd cut your pay by $100. Wonderful cost saving measure by the government, and just the right thing to say to someone who hasn't had time to sleep in days, and who thinks he has college funding perfectly figured out, thanks to the Clemens scholarship.
Not that the tuition offered by that scholarship hasn't helped a ton, but it's not enough to live on. Ah well, youth offers so many chances to screw up....
As to health benefits, it at least looks like a possibility. Unfortunately, I only have a one page DD-214 (the exit papers for getting out of the Navy). Apparently, I need to request the 4 page version before I can apply for benefits. No worries - I'm expecting this to be a fairly long evolution anyway before I see anything out of it.
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